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Meet the ‘Duck of Justice’

'DUCK OF JUSTICE:'In this July 6 photo released by the Bangor Police Department, the department's stuffed "duck of justice" greets the sunrise from atop a police cruiser in Bangor, Maine. The mascot, a wood duck that had been stuffed by a taxidermist and rescued from a trash compactor, has attracted more than 20,000 likes on its departmental Facebook page, and is being used as a new way of engaging with the public. Photo: Associated Press

The 80-officer department serving a city of about 33,000 has attracted more than 20,000 likes on its Facebook page during a recent surge in popularity. The department attributes the new followers to humorous pictures of a stuffed duck, dubbed “Duck of Justice.”

The duck appears in pictures of police cars, department members and K-9 cops accompanied by pithy text.

The duck posts are the handiwork of Sgt. Tim Cotton. He took over as the department’s public information officer in April, and is responsible for the department’s Facebook page. The page has shot up by more than 8,000 likes since then.

The page is one of many law enforcement accounts to use humor to engage with the public.